Unexpected Reprieve
by Abundantia
Summary: Sam starts having visions again, but they're not the same, Dean is worried, there's a new player in the fight against the Apocalypse, and Cas is acting strange. Who is the newcomer? Are Sam's visions connected? How will Dean deal?
1. Chapter 1

Hey Guys! Thank you for reading my story! I'm having a blast writing it! This is my first time posting any of my work, so I'd love to hear what you all think of it. I feel that we should never stop learning, and in that spirit, I ask you to review, review, review! I am always looking to improve and what better way to do that than with feedback!

Anyway, love and light to you all, enjoy!

* * *

><p>"God, Cas!"<p>

Dean growled, gripping the bathroom counter as his heart determinedly tried to beat its way out of his chest.

"What did I tell you about sneaking up on people?"

"Apologies Dean" Castiel said in his usual monotone, a slight crease between his eyebrows.

Dean just sighed, slowly unclenching his fingers from the wood of the counter.

"To what do I owe this pleasure Cas?" Dean grumbled.

"Dean I am not here for pleasure. I am here because I have a important information about the apocalypse."

Castiel's tone was utterly serious.

"It's a figure of-never mind. What is it?" Dean asked as he opened the bathroom door and stalked into the motel room. Sam looked up from his laptop in surprise to see Dean, looking about as happy as a wet cat, striding irritatedly into the room, angel in tow.

"Hey Cas," Sam greeted, nodding at the angel,

"Whats up?"

"I have news," Castiel replied, turning his intense gaze on Sam who looked slightly taken aback at its fierceness.

"There is a new player in the apocalypse."

Dean's head snapped around to stare at the angel while Sam's entire body tensed.

"Shit! That can't be good," cursed Dean. "Who is he, and what does the bastard want?"

"Not he," replied Castiel, "She"

"Alright so what does **she** want?" growled Dean. "Please don't tell me this is another Lilith chick. That is the last thing we need! Look how long it took us to gank the last one!"

Castiel swiveled his head to peer inscrutably at Dean.

"She is not on the side of the demons."

Dean stopped, mouth still open to continue his tirade.

"Come again?" he said.

"She is not on the side of the demons," Castiel repeated obediently.

"What do you mean?" Sam hoverd on the edge of his seat, a tight feeling growing in his chest as Dean snapped his mouth closed.

"If she's not a demon, whose side is she on?" Sam asked fiercely.

"It is, unclear," Castiel rasped, somehow managing to give his words the gravity of a portent.

"Great!" snapped Dean. "That's real helpful! Do you think you could maybe give us some details?" he asked sarcastically.

Castiel turned to look at Dean in what could have been reproach.

"She is human and appears to be extremely powerful, but her allegiance is uncertain."

Castiel's normally impassive face seemed to glow with a hidden emotion.

"Could you be any more vague?" Dean groused, shifting over to lean agitatedly against the desk.

Sam let out an explosive breath, sitting back in his chair while processing this new revelation.

"But this is good right?" Sam asked. "She's powerful, and she's not with the demons. Maybe we can persuade her to help us."

"But you can bet the demons are gonna want her too." Dean put in.

Sam's eyes widened.

"Dean, we've got to get to her first! Cas is that why you're telling us this?" Sam turned excitedly to the stationary angel who had barely moved an inch since he had walked into the room.

"That was my intention, yes," Castiel nodded in apparent approval. "If you can get to her and convince her to join us, then she would be a great asset. No one knows what to expect from her."

"Well that could be a good thing and a bad thing," quipped Dean. "If they don't know what to expect then neither do we. I mean look at the luck we've had with freaky ESP powers so far,"

He got up from his seat to pace around the room restlessly as Sam avoided meeting Castiel's gaze for a moment.

"She got a name?" Dean asked.

"Yes," replied Castiel.

Dean sighed in aggrivation.

"Cas! What's her name?" he shouted, gesticulating wildly.

Castiel turned a look of mild confusion on Dean before replying,

"Her name is Alyssa Brown,"

Castiel handed Sam a small piece of paper with an address scribbled on it.

"This is where she will be. You must hurry."

Then he vanished with the faint sound of wings flapping. Dean threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"The dude's like a freakin cat! Just comes and goes as he pleases!"

"You like cats," Sam said absently as he scanned the paper in his hand.

"Doesn't mean its not annoying" groused Dean.

"Hey Dean, this address is about a two day's drive from here, we should get going," Sam said, starting to gather his things and shove them into his duffel.

"Alright fine," Dean grumbled.

"But next time I see him I'm putting a freaking bell on that dude, angel or not."

* * *

><p>The rumbling growl of the Impala was a low comforting background noise as Sam and Dean sped down the straight two lane blacktop. They were in the middle of nowheresville, on the way to the address that Castiel had given them. Dean sighed and glanced to his right, snorting as he took in the slumped posture and slightly open mouth of his dozing brother. Shaking his head Dean turned back to the seemingly endless road ahead and stepped on the gas, responding to the growing sense of urgency that had been riding both of them since they had started out.<p>

Meanwhile, Sam was dreaming… He turned around, the silver mist stirring, trailing his movements. There was something he was looking for. He turned and started walking across the featureless white landscape, searching. His pace quickened, responding to a stirring sense of unease, and soon he was jogging, now passing vague tree-like shapes, but no tree he had ever seen was so white. He felt a tugging in his chest, a growing feeling of desperation as he sought something…but he couldn't remember what! He broke into a sprint as the bone-white trees closed in around him, panic clenching its cold hand around his throat. Suddenly he skidded to a halt. In the trees ahead he saw a figure standing with its back turned, indistinct in the mist. He walked hesitantly towards it, sensing a pressure in the air around him, like an electrical charge, prickling on his skin. He felt like his reality was teetering on the brink of…something. He felt an irresistible pull towards the figure, he reached out his hand, but before he could touch it, the figure suddenly whirled and all he got was a fleeting impression of vivid piercing eyes before a blinding pain erupted in his head, flinging him out of his dream and into awareness.

Dean nearly swerved as Sam suddenly gasped awake, bolting upright in his seat.

"Woah there, Sam, you ok?"

Dean kept one eye on the road as he glanced over at his brother with concern. Sam blinked, focusing on the world around him, panting slightly as his heart pounded. He shook his head slightly, still bringing the rest of his mind back from the edges of sleep.

"I'm ok," Sam rasped, calming his breathing as his heart slowed, relaxing back into the Impala's upholstery.

"Just a dream," he muttered, eyebrows coming together in thought.

Nightmares were common enough for him, it kind of came with the job description, but this dream was different, felt different. He tried to find a message in the strangeness but all he could come up with was that strange feeling, like having lightning crackling in the air around him, and that gut-clenching desperation. He sighed, dismissing it, leaning back in his seat and stretching out the kinks in his neck from falling asleep in such a cramped position. It hadn't made enough sense to be a warning of any sort. Though he knew it would be niggling in the back of his mind until he figured it out.

"Where are we?" He asked.

" Just passed the state border into California," Dean said, still throwing occasional concerned looks over at Sam.

"We should probably get a motel in the next little bit, we'll get to the address sometime tomorrow morning. You sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine, just a nightmare,"

Dean nodded, reluctantly turning his attention back to the road.


	2. Chapter 2

The motel room was predictably decorated in horribly bad taste, but otherwise passed muster. The sickly yellow-green colored wallpaper and matching comforters was one of the uglier prints Sam had ever seen, but the carpet was a nice inoffensive beige color. It was definitely better than the seedy motels they had been to where all they had were so-called honeymoon suites.

Sam dropped his duffel onto his bed and headed into the bathroom before his brother could hog it. Dean set about getting their gear into place and then flopped down onto his bed.

"Sam!" Dean yelled.

"Get out here! I need to use the bathroom"

"God Dean, you'd think you were 5! I'm coming" Sam yelled back, washing his hands.

"Hurry! This wallpaper is gonna sear my eyes out!"

Sam snorted and opened the door.

"Your royal fussiness, the bathroom is free," Sam announced, stepping into the room.

Dean sniffed disdainfully and marched past him, shutting the door,

Sam laughed and walked over to sit on the edge of his bed, letting his body flop back. He closed his eyes, just to rest them for a moment.

Suddenly, the skin on his arms erupted in goosebumps, sending waves of cold prickling across his shoulders and back. He sucked in a surprised breath of air. A scene flashed behind his closed eyelids. It was the bone woods again. This time the figure was standing in front of him, its intense eyes boring into him, the same feeling of tension making the air crackle in his lungs. This time though, he somehow knew that the feeling was emanating from this figure. He stepped forward curiously, and the figure suddenly raised its hand. He jerked to a stop and the hand slowly descended to rest on his brow. At first, a blissful warmth, like golden summer, soaked through his skull, prompting an inarticulate moan of longing, then suddenly, the same searing pain ripped through his head. He gasped, his eyelids flying open, hands coming up to clutch his head, scrambling to sit up. He sat there panting for a bit, eyes wide and confused. He lowered his hands. The pain had faded as fast as it had come.

Dean opened the door.

"Dude, I think that is one of the ugliest tiling jobs I've…"

Dean trailed off as he got a good look at Sam's face.

"What is it? What's going on?" Dean demanded, rushing over to crouch on the floor beside Sam.

"I…Dean…I saw…I had a vision!" Sam stumbled on his words, still shaking off the effects.

"What do you mean?" Dean said warily, "I thought those were gone!"

"I don't know Dean, this was nothing like the ones before. This one didn't hurt until I saw that guy, same as the other time!" Sam froze as he realized what he had said.

"Last time?" Dean's tone turned dangerous.

"This isn't the first?"

Sam looked away for a moment, hesitating, before turning back to look Dean resolutely in the eye.

"That dream I had in the car, it was the same, I just didn't realize it at the time."

Dean locked gazes with Sam for a minute, searching for something before nodding minutely and sitting back on his heels.

"Tell me about it,"

Sam sighed.

"They were a little different. The first time I was looking for something but I didn't know what. I was running through a white forest in white mist and I saw someone. They turned around and all I saw were their eyes. That's when my head started to hurt,"

Dean nodded his head as he listened, furrowing his brow.

"The second time I was awake. I had just closed my eyes when I saw the same forest and the same figure. This time I walked towards it and it put its hand on my head. That's when my head started to hurt this time. See it was when I saw that person both times!"

Sam got up to pace.

Dean watched Sam with a worried gaze then sighed and got up.

"You're right, those don't sound at all like your normal visions, they're much too vague. Your visions always gave specifics and they were always about the other special kids. Anyways the demon's dead,"

"That's what I'm worried about," Sam replied, rotating to face Dean.

"Different might not be a good thing. Actually considering who we're talking about it's a pretty good bet that it's very, very bad,"

Sam sighed and sat back down, grimacing in agreement.

"Too bad there's no lore on freaky demon induced visions," Dean said wistfully.

"No kidding," Sam replied, dropping his head into his hands.

"This is all we need,"

"Did you recognize the person in your vision?" Dean asked.

"No, " Sam replied, sighing gustily. "It was more of an impression of a face, I can't even remember the color of the eyes, just that they were intense. I think they were light colored though. They seemed too bright to be brown."

"Huh, well unless you see something what we can use, I guess there's not a whole lot we can do," Dean said standing up. "Anyways, look on the bright side. No brain melting migraines,"

Sam huffed a weary laugh. "Yeah, always looking on the bright side, I can deal with that,"

* * *

><p>Sam and Dean grew more and more tense as they approached their destination. Sam was so taut he was practically vibrating.<p>

"You know," Sam said suddenly.

"It's a pretty good bet that this girl that Cas told us about has something to do with my visions. Its too much of a coincidence for them to suddenly show up again out of nowhere just as we get this tip about the new player in town,"

"Huh," Dean said noncommittally. "Sounds plausible. But we still don't know why they're different. Though that might be even more of a reason to think she 's involved. 'unknown powers' and all that,"

"Do you think she's sending them?" Sam asked

"I dunno man but it kinda makes sense,"

"Maybe," Sam replied.

"Well now's our chance to find out," Dean announced as they pulled into the vast parking lot of one of a long row of identical warehouses.

"Oh come on!" groused Dean. "You'd think someone would come up with somewhere more original! I mean an abandoned warehouse? Nothing good ever happens in an abandoned warehouse!"

"Just be grateful its not another abandoned farmhouse. Or maybe you'd like a haunted orchard instead?" Sam teased.

Dean just grumbled incoherently glowering fiercely at Sam.

The brothers quickly sobered as Dean brought the Impala to a stop at the far edge of the lot and turned off the engine. Suddenly, a resounding crash sounding from inside the warehouse caused both brothers to go instantly on alert. They quickly opened the Impala's doors and dashed to the trunk to grab weapons. Exchanging worried glances the brothers flinched as more loud crashes emanated from the building in front of them. Suddenly Sam grabbed Dean's shoulder.

"Dean look!"

Dean looked and immediately stilled cautiously. Across the expansive parking lot the doors to the warehouse were shaking so hard they were vibrating. Suddenly they blew outward with a bang, flying completely off their hinges, and with them flew a body. The person twisted in midair and for an impossible moment looked like they were going to land on their feet, when the wind created by the explosion knocked them head over heels, sending them tumbling to the ground. Sam and Dean still hadn't moved when out of the open doorway ran another figure. At this point Sam and Dean shook off their stupor grabbed their shotguns and sprinted towards the figures.

As they neared Sam saw that the person on the ground was a girl, who was now fearfully trying to scuttle away from the figure approaching. 'A demon!' Sam realized glimpsing the black beetle-like eyes. He redoubled his speed realizing that he wasn't going to get there in time. The demon reached down and grasped the girl around her neck, easily lifting her off the ground to dangle in the air, grinning as she struggled futilely against him, her fingers clawing and the hands around her throat.

"Hey You!" Sam yelled.

As the demon turned to look Sam immediately aimed his shotgun at the demon's face and pulled the trigger. The rock salt took the demon full in the face, blinding him and causing him to drop the girl in a heap by his feet and stagger back, hands coming up to shield his face. Before Sam had a chance to give himself a mental pat on the back, two more demons pelted out of the warehouse, straight at the brothers.

Sam and Dean immediately dropped into defensive stances, so deeply ingrained they had become instinctual. Sam spared a moment to hope that the first demon didn't recover very fast before the other two were upon them.

Sam launched himself at one of the demons as Dean shot the other one full of rock salt to delay him. Sam exchanged blows with his opponent, discovering that this demon happened to have a hell of a right hook, before pulling the knife and ramming it into the demon's throat. Then he heard Dean yell and turned, yanking the knife out to see Dean and a demon closing its hands around Dean's throat. Sam lunged and buried the knife in the demon's back, watching as its mouth opened in a silent scream, releasing Dean's neck in the process, before slumping to the ground, hot lightning dancing through its limbs. Sam and Dean immediately turned to the girl and the original demon before jerking to a stop at the sight that met their eyes. The girl stood with her feet planted and had one hand raised in front of her. The demon seemed to be struggling to move, but he wasn't going anywhere. Sam took one shaky step forward, his eyes widening in recognition of the pose before he halted again with a look of incredulity. The girl closed her fist, furrowing her brow in concentration, panting slightly with exertion, and suddenly the air became heavy and charged with electricity. Sam froze and sucked in a startled breath, watching in disbelief as the girl seemed to grab the air in front of her and _ripped_. The demon came pouring out of its host, screaming in fury. But instead of streaming away like usual, the black smoke hung in the air in front of the girl, roiling and hissing. Then she made a gesture like she was compacting something, and the smoke immediately responded by contracting into a ball. Sam and Dean felt their jaws drop as they watched her manipulate the demon smoke. She then drew back her arm and _threw_ it up and out into the air. It sailed like a black comet before blazing in a silent explosion of blinding white light. Sam was frozen, suddenly aware of the strange familiarity of feeling energy crackle through the air.

The brothers turned their gazes back to the girl, still frozen in shock at what they had seen, just in time to see her crumple to the ground, the feeling of pressure vanishing simultaneously. Sam cursed and darted over to her side. He reached a shaking hand down to check for her pulse, relaxing slightly when he felt the faint fluttering of her heartbeat against his fingertips.

"Dude." Dean walked up behind Sam, who turned to look at him.

"What the hell?"

"That about sums it up," Sam responded. "I think it's a safe bet to say we found her,"

Dean snorted.

"Understatement. What are we gonna do with her?"

Sam sighed and turned back to study the enigma that had suddenly fallen into their laps. She looked to be in her early twenties, tanned with long wavy chestnut locks. Sam noted with faint surprise that she was quite short, probably not much taller than five feet. Her features were sharp, almost elfin. Her cheekbones were sharply defined, and her mouth was surprisingly sensual on the round face. She was dressed in plain jeans and a tee and it was obvious that she was very fit.

"Nice!" Dean leered after apparently noticing the same things that Sam had.

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed. "Can't you keep it in your pants for one minute?"

Dean subsided after glowering good-naturedly at the back of Sam's head.

"I guess we should take her with us," Sam said doubtfully.

"Dude, that could turn out messy if she's not open to joining us,"

"Yeah but do you really think she'd be inclined to help if she wakes up tied to a chair?" Sam responded.

"Huh, good point. We can have Cas mojo her if she gets feisty," Dean chuckled.

Sam just sighed and leaned down to gingerly scoop her up, noting that she hardly weighed more than air. Dean gathered their weapons and the boys walked back to the Impala. Sam carefully set the girl in the backseat before walking around to take his place in the front. The boys drove in silence back to their motel, one eye warily on their strange cargo the entire way.


	3. Chapter 3

"Dean what is this mojo that you ask of me?" Castiel asked in apparent confusion.

"Just zap her if she starts getting…unfriendly," Dean replied, watching as Sam carefully arranged the girl's limp figure on the bed. Sam stepped back and eyed her uncertainly.

"Do you think she's hurt?"

"I dunno, you check,"

"What? No! You check!"

"Hey, I'm not getting near her till we know she ain't gonna throw any freaky mojo crap at me. I mean you saw what she did to the demon!"

Sam just sighed in exasperation, throwing his hands in the air.

"Well she isn't gushing blood or anything so I think its safe to wait here till she wakes up,"

"Damn right! Apocalypse player or not, she bleeds in my baby she's cleaning it up!"

Sam just shook his head and sat at his laptop while the other two settled in to wait.

* * *

><p>Sam and Dean's attention was immediately caught by a faint groan from the bed. All three of them came to stand in various positions around the room facing the girl. Sam sat on the adjacent bed, Dean loomed next to him, made easier by the fact that Sam was sitting down, and Castiel stood by the dresser across from the foot of the bed. They all tensely waited. The girl moaned again, her eyelids fluttering open, face scrunching in discomfort. As she opened her eyes she looked around her and froze, her arresting green gaze taking in the three men. Slowly she dragged herself into a sitting position, warily watching the boys and Castiel, wincing as she scooted as far away from them on the bed as she could get.<p>

"Its ok," Sam said.

"We're not gonna hurt you,"

Dean shot Sam a glace with raised eyebrows. Sam gave a minute shrug.

"Ummm…ok," The girl said warily, clearly not convinced.

"How did I get here? Who are you?" She said, her gaze flicking rapidly around the room with false bravado and badly hidden fear.

"I'm Sam, this is my brother Dean, and this is Castiel. We were trying to find you,"

The girl blanched and scrambled into a defensive crouch on the bed, made harder by the fact that she was still tangled in the blankets.

"No no! Its ok. We want to help," Sam quickly assured her, noticing as he spoke that she seemed to be favoring her right side, cradling her arm close to her body.

"Are you all right?" He tried to appear reassuring, but he didn't think he was doing a very good job.

The girl shifted uncomfortably, still disoriented and obviously in pain from her sudden movements.

"You can't have me," She stated flatly, her balance starting to waver as her injuries asserted themselves.

Dean finally spoke up. "No, no. There will be no 'having' here, we're just trying to…help," Dean shot a wry look at Sam who nodded encouragingly back.

"Look, we promise, we're just as confused as you are, ok? We're not gonna hurt you, we just want to know what's going on. You're Alyssa right?" He asked.

"Yeah," She nodded, still looking wary, but less panicked. "I thought you were sent to find me. You should probably know who you're kidnapping before you actually do the deed you know," She pointed out. By this time she was having a hard time staying upright, holding onto the headboard with her good hand for balance.

"No kidnapping here," Dean interjected. "Just good old fashioned rescuing,"

"Look Alyssa," Sam stepped in. "Do you mind if I call you that?" He asked. She nodded in assent and he continued. "You're obviously in pain, I know some first aid, let me just take a look and see if there's anything I can do, if nothing else, we have some Tylenol to take the edge off,"

She smiled wryly. "You'll forgive me if I don't accept any drugs from you, but I'll make you a deal. You tell me why you were looking for me, and if I'm satisfied, then you can do your magic, but only if I'm satisfied. Deal?"

The three men exchanged looks.

"Well, you look like you're gonna pass out anyway," Dean pointed out, "We could just wait for you to keel over and then we wouldn't have to explain ourselves, problem solved!"

"Dean!" Sam hissed, "Not helping!" He turned to Alyssa. "He's joking, we'll take the deal."

She turned and looked at Dean through narrowed eyes but didn't say anything.

Dean sighed "Look, we wouldn't have rescued you and offered first aid if we were gonna hurt you, that's a lot of effort we could have avoided if we meant you harm. But you might want to relax before you faint otherwise you wouldn't get to hear our explanation anyway,"

Alyssa rolled her eyes, but she shakily eased herself into a sitting position with her back against the headboard.

"Ok," Sam said. "I guess the first thing we heard of you, was that someone was making waves in the hunting circles. At first we thought you were a demon or something cause no one knew whose side you were on, but then…someone…told us you weren't with the demons," Sam hesitated before deciding to leave out the fact that the silent figure in the room was an angel. People tended to react strangely when confronted with one of the Heavenly Host in the body of an accountant. That was a conversation they'd have to have later.

"We were curious, and, to be honest, kind of desperate. We heard that you were really powerful, and we're fighting a losing battle against hell, so it seemed like a good idea to look you up. We just didn't expect to get an up-close demonstration like that," Sam shrugged. That's pretty much it, or at least the short version.

"And as for how you got here, we brought you here after you…." Sam hesitated. "Collapsed."

"Ah," she nodded again.

"You sure don't say much do you," Dean put in.

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Well excuse me, Leno, but I was trying to decide if you were going to try to kill me too," She said sarcastically.

Dean just raised his hands and backed off.

"Alyssa, what happened back there?" Sam said.

"How did you do that…thing with the demon?"

Alyssa shifted uncomfortably and, strangely looked slightly embarrassed.

"Well…I...don't really know…I guess," She stammered

Dean looked at her incredulously.

"Let me get this straight. You don't know how you exorcised a demon, turned it into a demon baseball and then made it explode?"

Alyssa looked even more embarrassed if possible.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," She mumbled.

Sam interrupted before Dean could start again.

"Have you always been able to do that?" He asked, sparing a warning look for Dean.

Alyssa's expression turned grim and she shook her head.

"No. About 3 months ago, I got really sick, no one could figure out why. The doctors were really confused because one day I just spontaneously recovered. But after I got better I was…different. I had been staying with my parents while I was sick, and one time afterwards, I tried to help my mom in the garden, I turned the entire yard into a desert, sand and everything. Another time I was trying to fix my computer and I blew it up. My parents decided I was touched by the devil and that I couldn't be saved,"

Alyssa looked back at the boys, her face was shuttered, none of the pain that she had to have been feeling leaked through. Dean felt a shock of recognition. He had seen that face in the mirror far too many times.

Sam shook his head, "I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be," Alyssa snapped.

She laughed bitterly, the hollow sound harsh and painful to the ears.

"They decided that this was punishment for my decadent, hedonistic lifestyle of premarital sex, henna tattoos, and Bob Marley music,"

Dean raised his eyebrows, "Bob Marley huh?"

Alyssa shrugged, " I liked a couple of his songs,"

"You know what the real kicker is though?" Alyssa asked with a smile that looked like it hurt.

"All this happened, everything, because the Angels did it to me!"

Sam and Dean both started, their eyes going wide. Then as one they both turned to look at Castiel, who looked like he had just been hit on the back of the head by the proverbial 2X4.

Alyssa went on.

"I had decided that I was supposed to serve humanity. Do something good, you know? So I prayed that I be given the opportunity to serve,"

She laughed again, but this time her laughter had a slightly hysterical edge to it.

"Well my prayers were answered. But instead of serving humanity, they only wanted me to serve them. They told me I was a weapon, that I would fight their battles for the glory of heaven. Well they made me a weapon alright! Whatever they did to me, turned me into a monster, I killed my little brother!

By this time, Alyssa was shouting, her eyes bright with unshed tears. She pulled her knees up in front of her chest and wrapped her good arm around her legs, protecting herself. She gritted her teeth and blinked back her tears, refusing to give into weakness.

She ground out her words, speaking through clenched teeth.

"I was mad at him for ruining my favorite book. I was yelling at him, and when I grabbed his arm…" She paused, struggling to keep her composure. When she resumed her face was expressionless, but her voice wavered and shook.

"When I grabbed his arm…he…there was lightning…It…I felt it. I electrocuted him. He was dead before he hit the ground,"

Sam and Dean were speechless, frozen in place, watching as Alyssa sat on the bed and shook.

Finally, Sam slowly got up to sit on the bed next to Alyssa. Dean needing movement, paced past Castiel to the other side of the bed Alyssa sat on, to lean against the wall across from his brother.

Sam hesitated a moment, shaken, his expression one of utter sympathy.

"Alyssa," Sam spoke.

"We see a lot of monsters in our line of business, things you couldn't even dream of and a lot I'd prefer you didn't, and I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty,"

Alyssa peered at Sam questioningly, her gaze guarded.

"What?" She whispered.

"You are not a monster, Alyssa. Its impossible," Sam said firmly.

"How can you say that, when you know what I did?" Alyssa asked, her façade starting to crack. Whatever was inside of her resonated with Sam, perhaps recognizing a kindred spirit. He looked at her like he really believed what he was saying.

Sam looked up and locked eyes with Dean over her head before answering, his voice strong with conviction.

"Because you regret it," He said, and Dean's face softened minutely. "Because you'd do anything to make it right,"

Dean held Sam's gaze and after a moment, something passing between them, affirming for them both that they were getting there, that they were ready to heal, that it was even possible.

Sam looked back at Alyssa, filled with the certainty that he knew exactly what she was feeling, and having been there, he had no desire to see anyone else go through the same thing. He wanted, no, needed, to do whatever he could to help her. He somehow felt he owed it to himself, and her.

Alyssa's gaze wavered, and she pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. She looked at Sam, her vulnerability starting to show through. She wanted so badly to believe…

"I do…I would, but they said—" She started.

"Alyssa," Sam reached out a hand to her, and her automatic reaction was to place her hand in his. He paused for a moment, surprised by her instinctual trust in him.

He closed his fingers around her smaller ones and gave them a little shake for emphasis.

"You can't be a monster, because no monster I've ever heard of regrets what they've done, its part of what makes them a monster,"

There was a moment of silence as his words hit her, then Alyssa's face crumpled. She pulled her hand back from his hold and used it to cover her face, desperately trying to hold onto her composure as the months of bottled fear and pain and anger found a release.

Almost without thinking about it, Sam found himself sliding to sit next to her with his back against the headboard, and he reached out and gathered her into his arms.

As she was enfolded into his warm embrace, she broke down, giving in as silent sobs wracked her body.

As Sam held her, he couldn't help feeling like he was getting a second chance. If he could help her, maybe she wouldn't have to go through the same ordeals as he had done. At that moment, Sam wished that there was still someone left to pray to. If there had been someone there, he would have said a prayer in gratitude, for having been given this chance, and also asking not to screw it up.

Dean looked at the two on the bed wrapped around each other, feeling a strange warmth in his chest. This was liberally mingled with discomfort, since crying women always made him uncomfortable. He never knew what to do to make them stop. He sighed and looked around, figuring that tissues would be a good start. Then he stopped in confusion.

"Hey guys," he said, the two on the bed looking up at him in surprise.

Dean turned in a full circle, searching. He looked at Sam.

"Where's Cas?"


	4. Chapter 4

Hi Guys! Thank you to all those who put my story on their favorites list or on Story Alerts! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story. Please review and let me know what you think of it in your own words!

And on with the story!

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><p>Sam and Dean looked at each other, then around the dingy motel room, as if they had somehow missed the angel the first time around. Dean groaned and threw up his hands in exasperation.<p>

"A bell! I swear I am going to tie a bell to him!"

Dean sighed and looked at Sam and Alyssa.

"You guys gonna be ok?" I mean I'm feeling the intense craving for beer, and possibly food and I don't want to come back to Sammy flambé—"

Alyssa blanched as Sam frantically gestured for Dean to shut up.

"Dean, so not helping,"

"No, its ok," Alyssa said.

"I'm in control now, I mean I had to learn pretty fast. I'm getting a lot better about it,"

Dean nodded.

"Ok, I've got my cell, call if you need anything. I'll bring you guys back some food,"

"Thanks," Alyssa said.

Dean shot Sam one more look before grabbing his jacket and striding out the door.

As the flimsy door shut behind Dean, Sam tentatively resettled his arms around Alyssa. She was so small, she fit in the hollow of his arms perfectly.

"You ok?" He asked. He was surprised at how natural it felt to have her curled against his side, her head buried in the crook of his neck. As he shifted, her hair tickled the hollow of his throat and he raised a hand to brush it behind her ear.

Alyssa made a small noise in her throat, almost a sigh. When he shifted to look at her face, she cleared her throat and tried on a quavering smile.

"I'm not good at being this close to people," She said, her voice raspy and catching on words, her throat raw from her harsh sobs of before.

"I would have moved before now, but you smell really nice," she said half-jokingly, her hand absently running over the rough fabric of the comforter.

"Plus my side really hurts, and moving it makes it worse,"

"Crap! I completely forgot!" Sam immediately shifted, then apologized as she hissed in pain when he jarred her bruises.

"Can you sit up?" Sam asked. "I want to take a look at your injuries,"

Slowly and with much cursing they got Alyssa sitting propped up with her back against the headboard. After her crying jag, she had stiffened up and now moving was much more painful.

As Sam moved around the motel room, gathering the first aid supplies, Alyssa managed to struggle out of her jacket, feeling slightly awkward, and uneasy about not feeling more awkward about the whole situation.

Sam sat back down on the side of the bed, facing Alyssa, and started laying out his supplies to clean the various scrapes and cuts that he could see so far. She directed him to where it hurt, and he got started. He started with a scrape on her cheekbone, apologizing and wincing as she reacted to the stinging of the antiseptic. As Sam gently wiped away the dirt and grime from the cut, he found he had to concentrate to keep his hand steady. It unnerved him how easy it was to be around Alyssa, dangerously easy. He had never found it easy to trust new people, their lifestyle made paranoia almost sacrosanct. But he found himself, without even noticing, breaking his own personal rules, and trusting her, being comfortable with her, letting down his guard. Any one of these, if he was wrong, could easily end up with him dead. But, somehow he couldn't seem to muster up the required distrust. Putting up walls seemed wrong somehow, almost a transgression, though what he would be transgressing against, he couldn't guess.

Suddenly Alyssa began to giggle, breaking him out of his reverie. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow in query, wondering if maybe it had all been too much for her.

"Hi," She said through her giggles.

"Hi," He responded, smiling in spite of himself.

"Nice to meet you," She chortled.

"Nice to meet you too," Sam chuckled. Her laughter was infectious.

"I usually at least buy a guy a drink before I drag him to a hotel room and sob all over him,"

Sam laughed outright.

"So you do this often do you?"

"What? Turn into an absolute emotional wreck and cling to them like a monkey? Oh absolutely!" She said, her eyes twinkling. "As you can guess, my love life is hopping,"

Sam had to stop cleaning her cuts, as he was laughing so hard he was afraid he'd accidentally hurt her.

In all probability it wasn't as funny as they thought it was, but they were both giddy after releasing some of their burdens and they needed the relief from the emotionally charged atmosphere of before. Laughter eased the tension of grief and high emotions, and they took full advantage of it.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Alyssa breathed,

"It hurts to laugh!"

"Let me take a look at those ribs," Sam gestured for her to raise her shirt up.

Alyssa felt her cheeks heat at the thought, even though she was still technically completely clothed. Berating herself for being a fool, she moved to raise her shirt, gasping as she tried to use her right arm, feeling pain shoot through her shoulder and side.

Sam quickly moved to support her arm, cradling it gently to avoid causing her more pain.

He huffed a rueful laugh, "Maybe we'll leave that for last, we can do the easy stuff first,"

Sam quickly ran his fingers up and down her arm from her wrist up to her shoulder, checking for breaks. Feeling none, he carefully rolled up her sleeve, finding long, angry-looking scrapes extending above her elbow, towards her shoulder. He assumed she had landed there when she had been thrown through the doors. He cleaned those, and decided they weren't deep enough to need a bandage. Then he carefully pulled the neckline of her long-sleeved tee over her right shoulder, noticing as he did so, how she fidgeted, and then tried to hide it.

"I just need to see if you have anymore scrapes," Sam tried to reassure her.

"Oh, I know…I mean…its ok, you're fine," She stammered, blushing.

Sam hid a smile, and tried to concentrate on her injuries, but he found himself distracted by her. Like how she smelled like jasmine, and the air after rain, and sunlight. Sam quickly clamped down on his wandering thoughts. Now he was starting to sound poetic, this was ridiculous.

Sam quickly turned his attention back to her shoulder, apologizing as he prodded it a little too hard and she made a small noise of pain. Her entire shoulder was red and swollen. When the bruise fully blossomed, he bet it would be some truly spectacular colors. For now, he took a trip down the hall to get some ice, and had her hold it against her shoulder to numb the pain.

As Sam gently and methodically tended to her various cuts and scrapes, Alyssa had to focus to keep her breathing even. Having him so close was doing strange things to her body. _I'm being ridiculous_. She thought. _You'd think I've never seen a hot guy before, good grief!_ He kept giving her these little glances, and God help her, she wanted to read into them. She really wanted it to be as simple as a man and a woman who were attracted to each other. But who was she kidding, when was her life ever that simple, especially lately.

Her morose thoughts stumbled to an abrupt halt when he suddenly reached out his hand to gently brush off some dirt that had been smudged on her cheek. That small contact effectively short-circuited her brain. She felt as if her skin came alive in reaction, oversensitive. She had to stop herself from reaching up to trap his hand against her face, just to keep feeling that incredible, electric sensation. He pulled his hand away and her eyes flicked to his face, to see if he felt the same thing as she had. His expression was neutral, but his cheeks seemed just a bit flushed, and she thought she heard his breathing catch, almost imperceptible even in the silence of the room. She found herself warmed by the thought that she wasn't alone in this insanity. That he seemed to be affected almost as much as she was.

Finished with the last of her superficial cuts, Sam moved to her side. He propped her arm on some pillows, and gently pulled up the hem of her shirt, revealing an expanse of smooth, golden skin. Almost unconsciously, Sam found himself just wanting to touch, wondering if it was as soft as it looked, if her skin would taste as intoxicating as it smelled. Now it was Sam's turn to blush and stammer. Inwardly he cursed himself as she looked at him curiously. He'd had crushes before, but this was ridiculous. He was a grown man for Christ's sake! He should be able to keep his head around a pretty girl. What was it about her that made him so flustered? Keeping his attention firmly on the task at hand he turned his attention to her side and then winced in sympathy. Unlike her shoulder, the bruises on her side were already darkening to a livid purple. He gently prodded her ribs, feeling to see if any were broken. From the way she was acting, how carefully she was moving, he guessed that one of them was at least cracked. Finding his guess was right, he got her some more ice, and the extra strength Tylenol he had promised her, wishing there was more he could do.

Having completed his exam, he hung around uncertainly as she resettled her clothing and took the pain pills. Finally he retook his seat on the second bed, fidgeting restlessly and tried to think of something to say.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. Yes I am still alive. Life just keeps on lifeing. Anyway, new chapter! Yay!

P.S. Reviews are very motivating! (hint hint)

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><p>Alyssa glanced furtively at Sam as she set her water glass on the bedside table. She felt a bit bewildered by all the events that had taken place in such a short span of time, at least she assumed it was short. She frowned as she realized she didn't know how long she had been unconscious for. She turned to ask Sam, and then paused. He was just puttering around the room, occupying himself with minor tasks, not looking at her. She took advantage of the opportunity to watch him unobserved. He moved with a grace that seemed incongruous with his big frame. He was very big, she saw, bigger than she had assumed when he was sitting down. He had nice hands, she noticed, as he shuffled some papers around on the table, large and strong, yet they had been so gentle when he was dressing her wounds.<p>

As she watched him from under half-closed lids, she began to notice things that began to alarm her, almost as much as they intrigued her. She noticed how he always kept his weight exactly centered, never off-balance, never any wasted movement. He moved like a fighter, which shouldn't have surprised her since she'd seen him in action. But it was more than that. He moved like he was always ready to defend from an attack, or to attack someone else. As she watched him, some primal part of her told her to run, that this man was dangerous, but a bigger part, that scared her just as much was drawn to him like a magnet. She didn't know what to make of him, but she did know that she felt more comfortable around him than she could ever remember feeling with a man.

Finally, when it looked as if Sam had run out of things to occupy himself, Alyssa cleared her throat to get his attention.

"So…you and your brother, what is it that you do exactly? I mean, I hear kidnapping's pretty lucrative, but I don't think anyone's gonna want to ransom me, so out of luck there,"

Sam's mouth turned up in a rueful smile before letting it drop in anticipation of her reaction. "Well, we hunt monsters. Demons, werewolves, vampires, the occasional wendigo or tulpa,"

Alyssa was quiet for a moment. "Ah," She said. "Those,"

Sam peered at her. "You're handling this awfully well," He noted.

"Nah," She responded, "I think I've just used up my quota of hysteria for the day. Ask me again tomorrow, " She sighed. "Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I mean I knew about angels since they…well, for a while, and they told me about demons before I had my encounter…today? Yesterday?"

Sam glanced at his watch, surprised he had lost track of time. "Today. It's the night of the same day we found you,"

Alyssa nodded, glad she hadn't lost too much time. "That's good. Anyway, I just never thought past the whole angels and demons thing. That seemed plenty at the time,"

Sam grimaced in understanding, knowing full well how overwhelming it all could be, though she was being remarkably calm.

Alyssa sighed, suddenly looking very worn, and painfully lost. She sat back against the headboard ghosting her hand over the pillow next to her, absorbed in her thoughts. Sam found himself almost unconsciously drifting closer to her, settling again on the edge of the bed, feeling the weight of the day dragging at him.

"You doing ok?" He asked.

Alyssa's mouth twisted into what could almost be considered a smile and replied, "Ok is relative,"

"Sometimes I just want to say 'to hell with it all', just so I don't have to keep running," She looked at him with eyes much too old for her face, the weight of her experiences giving her years that time had not.

"Self-preservation's a bitch," She whispered wryly, snuggling down into the pillows and closing her eyes, not sleeping, just resting.

Sam continued to stare at her, not sure what to do with the painful vulnerability she was showing him and wishing more than anything he could take it all away. He wanted to erase the bleakness and the fear he saw behind her quips and carefully blank faces. Out of instinct he reached out and took her hand, not really sure what he was doing, just wanting to comfort her.

Her eyes fluttered open, surprised, but after a moment her slender fingers curled around his larger ones, gripping them tight. She smiled, an actual smile this time, albeit a small one. She gazed at him a moment, then Sam barely had time to register a small spark of mischeif in her eyes before she tugged on his hand, pulling him down to lay next to her on the pillows. She then immediately curled herself around him, fitting herself into the hollow of his arm, burrowing her head into his chest, directly over his heart.

Sam found himself lying dazed, on his back, cuddled up with the waif of a girl, without quite knowing how he got there.

She shifted slightly, snuggling closer to him, her face still buried in his chest. When she spoke, her words were muffled.

"Don't make it weird," She demanded, "I'm tired and sore, and I almost became demon mincemeat, so shut up and take it like a man," She growled.

Sam chuckled. She sounded so fierce, like a wildcat, but somehow she aroused his protective instincts, so maybe a kitten. Sam glanced down at the top of her head. He was lying with his arms stiffly out to the sides, not quite sure what to do with them. Finally, as he felt her relaxing, her body softening against him, he brought his arms to wrap around her, tucking her head underneath his chin. He inhaled the unfamiliar, soothing scent of her hair, and felt more at home than he'd felt in the longest time. He marveled at the feel of her in his arms, soft and lithe, she fit against him perfectly, despite the differences in height. He closed his eyes, doing his best to block out the images of smooth, tantalizing skin and rich, dark hair that slipped into his head, making him fervently hope she didn't notice the effect these thoughts were having on his body. The last thing he needed was for her to notice the decided bulge in his jeans. The things this woman did to him. If he reacted this strongly now, he was almost afraid to think of what he'd do if she did more than just snuggle with him.

He knew he should probably fight whatever infatuation he was feeling right now, but truth be told, he didn't want to. He wanted something good in his life, and he wanted to savor whatever this was before the shit hit the inevitable fan. He resolved to himself not to think about it and resettled his arms around her, firmly tamping down any more inappropriate thoughts. As he settled, he gave in and brushed his lips across her hair in a feather-light, imperceptible caress, before closing his eyes.

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><p>Alyssa closed her eyes tightly and briefly wished she could disappear. She felt stupid, and sore, and confused, and afraid, and so achingly content that she never wanted to move. But, the warmth of Sam's body seeped through her, slowly pushing away any embarrassment caused by her impulsive decision. She knew this blind trust was stupid, that by all rights she should be running as far and as fast as she could from this entire situation, but as she listened to Sam's heart thundering faintly beneath her ear she couldn't bring herself to care. She nuzzled her nose into the "V" of Sam's flannel shirt, taking secret delight in the way his masculine scent sent frissons of desire throughout her body. 'Down girl' she thought to herself sternly before she did something even more stupid, like kiss him. No need to make the poor man think she was a complete loon, 'Although' she mused sheepishly, 'its probably too late for that'.<p>

For a moment she found herself diverted by the thought of kissing Sam. The notion caused her to have to tamp down the urge to squirm as it awoke something deep within her that had long been asleep, desire. She quickly closed her eyes and concentrated on staying very still so that her body wouldn't betray her.

Finally, after firmly telling her libido to take a hike, Alyssa's exhaustion finally caught up with her and she let herself fully relax into Sam as her eyes slid shut.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the huge nothingness this past while. Life has been life-ing, as it so often does. Anyway, again, I apologize since this is a pretty short chapter to show you guys I'm still alive. However, I could really, really use some feedback on the story as its been fighting me a bit. All ideas are welcome and appreciated! Thank you thank you thank you!

Enjoy!

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><p>A resounding crash shook the air. As Dean rounded the corner he hoped fervently that whomever had just accidentally mowed down one of the figures racing down the street with their car didn't get into too much trouble for it. Dean sprinted as fast as he could, forcing his aching legs to their limits. He cursed his cell phone when Sam's voicemail came on the line for the second time. He looked back over his shoulder, feeling the air burning through his lungs as he struggled to catch his breath. He swore fluently when he caught a glimpse of his pursuers, their flat black eyes glinting with deranged glee. There were three of them, minus the one that had just become road kill, at least that he could see. The rest of them were probably trying to circle around to cut him off.<p>

"Castiel! Where the hell are you?" Dean yelled, before growling his annoyance at the absent angel.

Dean spied the motel and poured his strength into his headlong dash, praying to anybody that would listen that he got there in time. Mentally he was berating himself soundly for going out with only a gun and two bottles of holy water, which had quickly been used up. He had assumed that they had covered their tracks well enough to be invisible for all intents and purposes. Well it seems it wasn't enough.

Finally, Dean pounded to a hasty stop at the motel door, barely slowing in time to avoid crashing into it.

"Sammy!" He yelled through the door. "We've got company!"

Dean got the door open and dashed into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Turning around he was just in time to see Sam and Alyssa groggily disentangling themselves on the bed. Dean shot Sam an incredulous look, making a mental note to give Sam hell for this later when their asses weren't at stake.

"Dean, what…" Sam started.

"Demons Sammy," Dean interrupted, striding over to their weapons duffel.

"A whole shitload of them and they're all headed this way,"

Sam immediately sprang into action, barricading the door, and rummaging in their packs for supplies to make a devil's trap. Dean started pulling out holy water and salt, thickening the lines on the door and windows to make extra sure.

"We don't have time to make a break for it, so we're gonna have to weather it here," Dean tossed Sam his shotgun and helped him shove the dresser against the door. Then he turned to Alyssa who, at the mention of demons, had frozen, and was standing across the room, pale as milk.

"Alyssa, I don't know what you can do, but any mojo you can throw at them would be greatly, and I mean _greatly_ appreciated, we're gonna need you on this one,"

Alyssa was trembling, her hands clenched at her sides and her eyes were too wide in her pale face. But she pulled herself up to stand straighter and pressed her lips together resolutely.

"Ok," She whispered, then cleared her throat and tried again.

"Ok," She said, stronger. "I'll do what I can,"

Sam glanced at her, worried. She looked scared to death, but her face was set and her eyes were narrowed in determination. He went over to her and touched her shoulder comfortingly. The smile she sent him was strained, but she moved to stand in between him and Dean, shoulder to shoulder with the brothers.

"Here they come!" Announced Dean.

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssss

Dean and Alyssa crouched beneath the windows, Alyssa armed with Sam's shotgun and some holy water. Sam was hastily drawing a devils trap to encompass as much space as he could in the motel room, starting just in front of the door. He sent a silent apology to whoever owned the motel, because there was no way the red paint was coming out of the carpet.

Just as he was putting the finishing touches on the design, he heard the sound of many feet, scuffing the pavement outside. Sam moved over to crouch beside Alyssa, snagging his extra shotgun on the way.

Sam turned to Alyssa, " I don't know what or how much the angels told you about demons, but don't listen to anything they say. They're gonna try to get to you, make you reckless, or make you give up. But don't listen because demons always lie,"

Alyssa nodded, her face grim.

"Except when the truth hurts more," Murmured Dean.

Sam shot Dean a look, his eyebrows drawing together. Dean just gave him that false grin and turned back to look out the window. Sam just shook his head and followed Dean's lead, turning his attention to the demons outside.

Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssss

Alyssa copied the boys, daring a quick peek past the curtains. She clamped down on her fear as she caught sight of the familiar black eyes, and twisted, arrogant expressions on their faces. She shuddered as memories of another time she had seen that expression, and what followed. Alyssa quickly cut off that train of thought. She couldn't afford to think about that now. She couldn't break down, not when so much was at stake, no matter how much she wanted to. She shifted her attention to the boys, hoping to keep her mind off the way her stomach felt like it was somersaulting from fear. When she saw them she cracked an involuntary smile. They truly were a sight, both with matching expressions of grim determination on their faces, clutching their weapons tightly.

Alyssa spared one more glance at Sam, before closing her eyes, and on a breath, _reaching_ inside of herself, to that place that never stopped burning. She could always feel it, rumbling inside of her like a washing machine full of marbles, but now that she turned her full awareness to it, it was like standing inside an inferno. She took a moment to let the white tendrils of pure power dance across her inner sight. Then, she _called_ to it, and it responded by trying to rise up to fill her body. Every time she called, she could feel the vastness of the energy, rushing forward like a tsunami and instinctively clamped down. Alyssa could feel her mind trying to reject the energy, trying to protect her from this foreign force. Slowly, she made herself relax into it, struggling to let the power out. Finally she could feel it rising till it rippled under her skin, flowing out until the taste filled her mouth, thick and metallic, like honey and blood. The feeling was almost ecstatic, it felt so good.

Suddenly Alyssa found herself jolted out of her concentration by the sound of her name, called in a lilting voice. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at the one face she had foolishly hoped wouldn't be here.

"Chemosh," She whispered, feeling her stomach clenching in reaction as she instinctively backed up, bumping into Sam's outstretched arm. But, as he tried to place a steadying hand on her back, he hissed and pulled away as if burned. His wide eyes looked at her incredulously, but her attention was ensnared.

"Girly girl!" Chemosh sang out, sounding for all the world like he was greeting a long lost friend.

"Its so good to finally see you again! Look at us all! Its like a great big party! You know, I am so looking forward to having you back as my guest, you left so quickly last time,' He purred, almost confiding.

Sam and Dean shot each other horrified looks over Alyssa's head as she gave a choked off sound of terror. They both had first-hand experience of what being a demon's guest entailed.

Chemosh's face stretched into a smile that made Alyssa's teeth hurt as he sauntered slowly forward, towards the window.

"I've gotta say I'm a bit hurt that you didn't stay longer, and after we got to know each other so well!" He exclaimed. "After all we do have a mutual friend,"

Alyssa caught her breath at the look of glee on the demon's face before she slowly shook her head in horrified denial.

The demon took the time to carefully brush a bit of imaginary lint from his impeccably pressed suit before twisting the knife.

"Little Jason and I have been having so much fun together down in hell,"

Chemosh paused to let the words have their full effect, grinning all the while. Alyssa shook with anger, barely feeling the hands on her arms, restraining her as her a haze of red covered her vision. She could hear Sam and Dean cursing as her power roiled and fizzed when they touched her skin, but she paid no attention. She only had eyes for the demon.

"You know he still calls out for you, screams for his big sister to save him, even though you're the soulless monster that murdered him,"

Alyssa let out an inarticulate scream of rage and surged forward toward the demon as the window exploded outward. Sam and Dean ducked, using their arms to shield their faces from flying shards, before cautiously raising their heads to view the scene. Alyssa stood in the broken glass, tears streaming down her face as white lightning danced along her skin. Chemosh's smug expression stayed in place, that is, until he heard the first screams. He looked around in shock as one by one, the crowd of demons at his back ignited within their hosts.

Chemosh's face twisted with fury. He whipped around to face Alyssa and he held out his hand, curling his fingers into claws as she slowly started rising off the ground, struggling and clawing at her throat for air. In her panic, she could feel herself grasping for her power, but her fading mind couldn't seem to function. Dean took aim and lobbed a bottle of holy water at the demon. It shattered, splattering his face and neck, steam rising as the liquid started eating its way through flesh. Chemosh screamed in pain, frantically trying to shake the liquid off. Alyssa dropped a foot, then caught and stayed suspended in the air.

sssssssssssssssssssssssss

Sam scrambled for his shotgun as Alyssa gasped hoarsely, her face now taking on a bluish tinge. Desperately he fired his shotgun at the demon, emptying 1…2 rounds of rock salt into it's expensively suited carcass. He had half a second of triumph as Alyssa crumpled to the floor before he felt himself being flung across the room to hit the far wall. Immediately the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth as the impact made him bite his tongue. It took him two tries to get to his feet, and by that time Dean was sailing across the room to land beside him.

Chemosh roared with rage at the defiance that these hunters were showing, furious at the destruction of his soldiers. Turning his attention to the boys, he strode forward. Glass crunched under his expensive shoes as he approached the shattered window.

Sam scrambled to Alyssa's side, using a shaking hand to turn her over. Her breath hitched as she opened her eyes, before breaking out into a fit of coughing. Relieved, Sam dragged her with him, out of the way, and propped her against the far wall. Then he joined Dean at the window, grabbing Ruby's knife as he went.

"Boys!" Chemosh called, his cheerful façade cracking under the force of his anger.

"You really aren't as smart as you look, taking up with a girl like that. You don't even know what she is," Chemosh grinned nastily, his lilting voice holding a dark, grating edge, "or that she's not even human," he stressed the words lengthening them into a mocking sing-song.

Sam could hear Alyssa's sharp intake of breath from behind him, and it took all his strength not to turn and go to her.

Dean just cocked his shotgun, "And you're even dumber than you look, which is saying something, if you think we're gonna believe a thing you say about her," He sent Sam a meaningful look before stepping purposefully back into the devil's trap they'd drawn. Sam followed suit, casually retreating, knowing that the demon wouldn't follow.

Sam felt the handle of Ruby's knife grow slick with sweat. This situation had gone downhill fast. He finally spared a glance back at Alyssa, but stopped when he noticed the expression of barely contained panic on her face as she stared at Chemosh. He watched as she slowly shook her head side to side in denial, eye's wide.

Chemosh threw his head back and laughed, his delight like a knife scraping over raw nerves. "Oh sweetie, you didn't even know!" he chortled.

Sam clenched his teeth. He knew it would be better if the demon was in the devil's trap for the exorcism, but they didn't have that luxury. Trusting Dean to keep him occupied, Sam slowly backed up to stand over Alyssa, muttering the beginning of the exorcism as he went. He felt the words wrap around him, felt the power of them, very glad they had memorized the whole text.

He broke off when Chemosh started laughing again.

"Oh sweetheart," he gushed, "you might as well be tickling me for all the good it'll do,"

Sam and Dean shared a horrified look before Dean came to join Sam and Alyssa at the back of the room. They were well and truly screwed.


End file.
